UFC 170 Play-by-Play: Robert Whittaker vs. Stephen Thompson

Robert Whittaker vs. Stephen Thompson

Round 1: Whittaker lands a solid jab to start the action. Thompson delivers an inside leg kick. Whittaker moving forward behind his jab. Thompson lands to the body with a kick. Thompson switches stances. He lands a front leg axe kick. Whittaker inches forward. Thompson moves away. Whittaker picks up the pace. Thompson moving in and out. He lands a front leg side kick to the body followed by a combination. Thompson lands to the body with a right hand. Whittaker moves in with a right hand. Thompson answers with a left. Thompson mixing it up well. He lands a right right hand that drops Whittaker. Whittaker gets to his feet but is hurt. Thompson drops him again. Thompson follows Whittaker to the canvas and finishes with a series of strikes.

The official time of the technical knockout was 3:43 of the opening round.

QUOTES

Stephen Thompson:“I can’t even describe how good I feel right now. Whittaker is a very tough opponent so I was careful to stay away from his power and use my speed. I’ve got great instructors and coaches and my ground game is improving quickly. I’m still a striker at heart though so naturally that’s where I want the fight to take place. I’m a fighter which means I will fight anyone at any place any time the UFC wants me to. I’m ready for whatever they have lined up next for me.”

Robert Whittaker:“I was focused on the game plan but Stephen is a tough guy. He has a good striking skills, that were showing tonight at the octagon. I tried to show up in the best shape, but it was not enough. I learned a lot from this loss and I’m going to use every bit of it in training for the next one.”